Iraq’s elite invests hope in Abdul-Mahdi – despite his tangled past
Iraq’s elite invests hope in Abdul-Mahdi
Beyond Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi’s curriculum vitae lies a man seen in various lights by his peers: Indecisive? Moderate? Calculated? Less sectarian? A former Marxist or Baathist? Worldly?
Abdul-Mahdi, 76, inherits a country wracked by four years of war with ISIS, ethnic and religious division, and a battered economy.
“The task is difficult, but easier for him due to his calm, wisdom, commitment to the law, constitution,” says Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a former speaker of Iraqi parliament. “After the war, we don’t need a political leader with big fans or a military leader. Rather, we need an economist.”
There is an overall sense that although coming from a Shiite party he will be less sectarian and more pragmatic than his predecessors.
“He is approved by all and is loved by all political parties including Kurdish, Arabic Sunni parties. They have a good impression of him. He is also very respected and accepted by the Marja,” says Saadun Fayli, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Leadership Council member.
Corruption has plagued previous governments; something the United Nations, European Union, and other countries now say they are assisting Baghdad with through initiatives at several levels.
“He is trustworthy and all parties have supported him including the KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party], PUK, US and other countries. The Shiites also elected him,” says Mustafa Chawrash, a PUK Peshmerga commander.
Abdul-Mahdi’s past shows that he is ideologically flexible. He worked with the right-wing communists after seeing the mistakes committed by the Baathists.
“He was a Baathist in the beginning, and then he adopted a Marxist position which led him to take Marxism to an extreme,” says Arif Tayfur, a KDP Politburo member.
In the mid-20th century many countries faced an internal tug-of-war between right-wing dictatorships and left-wing communism.
“The situation of Iraq was like this at that time. There were communist and Baath parties. There were also some movements. There weren’t too many choices,” says Jalal al-Din Ali al-Sagheer, a former Iraqi MP.
Now, Iraq and the wider region faces religious and ethno sectarianism, wherein nearly every dominant party aligns itself as Shiite Arab, Sunni Arab, or Kurdish in Baghdad.
“I met him in 1961 when he was a Baathist. He was a communist in 1971 and an Islamist in 1981. He is criticized for switching parties. But humans have the right to do so,” says Hassan Alawi, a veteran Iraqi politician and pundit.
Abdul-Mahdi sees it as a normal progression.
“There are no politicians who say something at the age of 20 and that thing stays the same at the age of 60. There are no politicians who said something during an oppressive government or dictatorship to say the same thing when they a partner in the government,” he says.
His predecessor, Haider al-Abadi, was accused by Sunni and Kurdish parties of being inflexible in negotiations.
“There is no one who doesn’t review his stances or doesn’t change his thoughts or doesn’t make mistakes,” added Abdul-Mahdi.
The new prime minister is perhaps most influenced by his father Saeed Abdul-Mahdi al-Muntafiki who was a well-known Iraqi minister and a leading politician in Baghdad and the south. The Munatafikis are the majority in Nasiyirah.
Some of his peers doubt he will be able to reign in the powerful Shiite parties and militias despite his lineage.
“Iraq is in turmoil and full of problems and rivalries. Of those in power at present and in the past, Adil Abdul-Mahdi is more capable than them,” summarized Chawrash.
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